Appeals court upholds rapper Max B's conviction

A New Jersey appeals court has upheld the murder conviction and 75 year prison sentence of Harlem rapper Max B, real name Charly Wingate, for his role in a deadly robbery at a Fort Lee Holiday Inn in 2006.

The rapper, 34, has been serving his sentence in a New Jersey state prison since 2009, XXL Mag reports. He was convicted on nine of eleven counts of murder, robbery, and conspiracy charges.

A jury found that Max B sent his former girlfriend Gina Conway and his stepbrother Kelvin Leerdam to a Fort Lee Holiday Inn to rob Allan Plowden and David Taylor, NJ.com reports.

During the robbery, Kelvin Leerdam shot and killed David Taylor.

Conway testified for the prosecution saying Max was jealous after she told him that Plowden, her then boyfriend, bought her expensive gifts and drove a very expensive car.

The rapper's jealousy led to the botched robbery as well as the murder of David Taylor.

The prosecution made a deal with Gina Conway. In exchange for her testimony, rather than serve a life prison sentence, she would serve 18 years on armed robbery and manslaughter charges.

In his appeal, Max B argued that the jury had been "improperly instructed" and he was "handed down" an excessive sentence," The Boombox reports. He said the jury "erroneously denied his motion for a judgment of acquittal."

The Harlem rapper also argued that the Bergen County judge who presided over his trial should have granted his request to be tried separately from his accomplice Kelvin Leerdam.

The appeals court denied Max's appeal as well as another appeal from Leerdam, who was sentenced to life plus 35 years for the murder of David Taylor, NJ. com reports.

Earlier this year, Max B seemed very positive about his appeals case. It was reported in June that Max B was planning to drop several new music projects upon his release.

The rapper will not be eligible for parole until November 9, 2042, HipHopDX is reporting. No word on whether he still plans on releasing new music.